Reviews of underground and indie music and films, 60s/70s pop and soul music and cult movies. And the occasional wacky tale about life in the Hollywood flatlands.

Sunday, January 24, 2016

Music Review:Sci-Fi Romance: Dust Among the Stars

Dust Among the Stars

Sci-Fi Romance

Broken Image
Entertainment

The new album by L.A.
based alt-folk band Sci-fi Romance, Dust
Among the Stars, creates a somber landscape that pulls you in without
depressing you. The songs make you think more than brood, and ultimately, show a
glimmer of hope. Another strong effort, it’s just as thought-provoking as
Kotrla and company’s previous releases, including …and
surrender mybody to the flame and The Ghost of John Henry.

Singer-songwriter Vance Kotrla finds inspiration in found
film, horror movies and quirky pop culture. There’s a sense of this, of the
atmospheric and the unusual, on Dust
Among the Stars, even when the songs themselves don’t deal with those
subjects.

Most of the songs on Dust
deal with love, the uncertainty of life – normal fodder for pop and rock songs,
but the presentation gives it a depth not found in many rock releases.

“If I Fell”, combines pop love song sentiment
underscored with somber thumping rhythm. This gives it a haunting charm that’s neither
mainstream nor pure Goth. “Everything Burns” reflects on the lost love and the
passage of time, with Jody Stark’s plaintive cello emphasizing the message.

“Pale Blue Dot”, inspired by a photo of Earth taken by
Voyager I, puts man’s place in the universe in perspective.(“All we are/ all
we’ve ever been/ a pale blue dot on the head of a pin”) The track is dedicated
to astronomer Carl Sagan.

“Shakespeare’s Lovers” features guest vocalist Kristen Vogel
, an opera singer whose performed with St. Petersburg Opera and the Asheville
Lyric Opera, among others. Her soulful but tender soprano brings this tale of
star-cross lovers to life. She also adds vocals to the romantic “Let’s Run”, her
warm, reassuring voice meshes with Kotrla’s baritone. The closing ballad “When
You Wake”, consisting of only guitar and vocal, has the quiet comfort of a
lullaby.

Dust Among the Stars
is the most accessible of the Sci-Fi Romance CDs, but that doesn’t mean Vance
Kotrla has lost his edge. On the contrary, Sci-Fi Romance is just tapping the
surface of their capabilities.